


Progression

by BBnibini



Category: A3! (Video Game)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-17
Updated: 2019-12-17
Packaged: 2021-02-26 05:47:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,493
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21838456
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BBnibini/pseuds/BBnibini
Summary: He was 16 and a boy in love.
Relationships: Tachibana Izumi/Usui Masumi, Usui Masumi/Reader
Comments: 4
Kudos: 121





	Progression

He was 16 and a boy in love.

There didn't seem to be a limit to his forwardness. He was honest and affectionate, and while flattering to your self-esteem, you knew he was young and this was a phase he would eventually get over from. A part of you wished he had that much passion in his performances. 

As you saw him grow as an actor and witnessed he was starting to sprout buds of what you hoped was that passion he was lacking, you realized you may have judged him too quickly. He was rather cute(in a brotherly kind of way) when he wasn't being so...upfront. There were times when you catch yourself looking over at the other actors getting close to him and secretly wished he would find more people he can feel like he belonged to. 

Because for all the abundant love and obsessive affection he had for you, you knew there was a part of him, more likely unnoticed even by himself, that craved the love he had been openly offering to you. 

If only he knew he didn't need to seek for it anymore; that he had already found a place to return to that was waiting for him to say "I'm home," 

Perhaps...that really was what he needed then. 

* * *

He was 17 and had a dream.

It shocked you. You swore you saw him grin like a fool when you almost locked him in an embrace. When you came to your senses, you finally began having suspicions he was doing this for attention. 

But you were wrong. 

There was sincerity, perhaps even bashfulness in his expressions. It was at that moment did you notice his hair was softer than you thought. His eyes also weren't entirely purple, and he smelled like bergamots---

The force in which you pushed him away caused you to fall flat on your butt.

"What are you doing, Masumi? Don't lean into me like that!" 

"But I wanted to kiss you-" 

You didn't even need to say anything else. Tsuzuru efficiently pried the teenager off your arms and gave you his usual look of apology. 

"I guess there are some things that never do change," you mutter softly to yourself, a fond look was seen on your face; hiding a tenderness Tsuzuru noticed and kept to himself for both his and yours' sakes. 

* * *

He was 18 and vulnerable.

The amount of growth he had on the two years you have known him was...needless to say, dramatic. Unlike before, there was passion in his eyes and gentleness in his interactions with others. There were times when his cheesy lines get to you, knowing full well you were getting more aware of him but you steeled them, thinking the idea ridiculous. 

There were also times when Tsuzuru would look at you with a shaking head, but you pretended not to know why. 

* * *

He was 19 and a growing boy. 

"What? But Masumi just fitted this costume last week!"

"And he doesn't fit in it anymore. Seriously. If you want to put the tabs on someone, do it with this lovestruck Godzilla over here!" 

"Here", was Yuki pertaining to the boy standing beside him. Masumi had been sleeping more than usual. If not for being constantly scolded by Sakyo or Tsuzuru, you could swear that the boy would be imprinted on his bed eventually. It was a " _necessary sacrifice_ " on your part (as Itaru would like to call it to tease you), but you promised to wake him up every morning if he would stop sleeping at random places. The last thing the troupe needed was a Hisoka 2.0.

"I can never get tired of being greeted by you every morning.♡" 

You never noticed it before but, you had been straining your neck more than usual when you talk to him, and as you wanted to point it out to him to air out your complaints, a more attentive Tsuzuru would tease you about disagreeing with Itaru's plan a lot less vehemently than before--and you would find yourself holding back your words out of an awareness that it would affect you more than he. 

"A woman pretending to be dense would tire even the most devoted man eventually."

"If it's you who's doing it, I will count it as being tsundere. And a tsundere director is always cute.♡"

You settled on looking over at Tsuzuru with a glare, convincing yourself that doing so would strain your neck less. Tsuzuru muttered, _"Let's go with that"_ , with a knowing smirk and you vaguely " _wondered_ " why it had been so warm that particular winter night. 

* * *

He was 20 and "bachelor material". 

Or so he told you in his DMs after his coming-of-age ceremony. You got to hand it to him for not giving up on texting you despite the absence of your replies. 

"Oh, what a hottie! Your boyfriend?" 

Huh. Now that he was older, even your friends are being deceived. 

"Hey? You okay?". 

There was a tender ache in your heart as you realised how much he had changed. He had been such an unsociable boy before, but now he had friends, and he had been smiling more. 

"Mhmmm..." The drawl in your reply felt like it was holding back a sigh. "It's nothing. What were we having again? Caprese salad?" 

The you a few months from then wished you were more discreet in saving his picture, for you had endured plenty of teasing from a scheming Tsuzuru for the rest of the year.

* * *

He was 21 and a professional. 

"Masumi?! In a drama?" 

The way Tenma looked at you, seemingly insulted made you tone down your voice a bit. "I-I'm not saying I'm doubting your choice on asking him to act with you, it's just...Masumi? Really? Did he agree with you?" 

It was Masumi they were talking about! Didn't he hate stuff like this? 

Tenma's sigh made you snap out from your many, confused thoughts. "Director, he agreed immediately. Besides, why wouldn't I ask him?" The confidence Tenma had, you surmised didn't only come from his skills as an actor, but also the trust he had for the other Mankai members. 

This made you look back on what Mankai had achieved so far, and you felt a gentle ache. Oh. 

"Sorry, I just...it's hard to believe he changed so much."

You were mixing up the past from the present. You find yourself doing that often. 

If Tenma noticed anything else, you didn't know. But the awkward way he stroked your head made you calm down a lot. Unfortunately, it didn't stop the melancholy in your heart. 

* * *

He was 22 and a tease. 

"You haven't been making eye contact lately. Are you finally seeing me as a man?" 

If he had said that a few years ago, you would have brushed it off as a joke and laughed with him. But Masumi stopped saying such embarrassing things at some point, and you eventually got used to it as well. 

...only you didn't and you actually felt more conscious since he rarely flirted with you anymore. A part of you kept wondering if he eventually grew out of it like any other teenage crush, but the intensity of his gaze said otherwise. 

"Just kidding. Quit spacing out, director."

Oh. You were holding your breath. Oh, there were other people in the room practicing with you. 

"What's wrong? Is the director not feeling well?" Sakuya looked over to you in concern. 

Oh. You were actually disappointed. 

"I-I'm fine! Let's get back to practice!" 

You pushed away the first words that popped out of your head once Masumi pulled away from you:

> _"Too bad."_

After practice, Tsuzuru cornered you and gave your forehead a flick. "You're dragging it on for far too long. Everyone has noticed now and it's rather pitiful. What are you going to do?" 

You swallowed. "W-what are you talking about?" 

Tsuzuru shook his head and sighed. "Sakyo-san was right, you really ARE a bad actor."

Screw Sakyo. You wished his blond mop of a head would grow bald! But screw yourself even more. 

Of course it had been obvious and was probably obvious to everyone else for even longer than you had assumed. 

But perhaps the absence of his receptions was a sign that you were only making a fool of yourself. A frustrated groan and a fews swigs of liquid courage later, you opened your eyes to see a worried Masumi stroking your head as you lied on his lap. 

"My head aches..."

"It's called a hangover, Director."

You realized a lot later, after absorbing the fact that he and you aren't _actor and director_ anymore, that you made an even bigger fool of yourself earlier and that it didn't matter anymore...

"Masumi?" 

"Hm?" 

> To: Masumi Usui
> 
> I like you, don't you like me anymore?
> 
> _message seen 5 hours ago_

"Happy birthday."

...because he was 23 and yours.

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this alongside Izumi's entry on SD after being bombarded with his character songs while writing it, and I kinda want to experiment on a more x reader writing style so...yeah.
> 
> Also,congrats to everyone who completed the event! Now y'all can sleep.


End file.
